Hero
by hopeistheway
Summary: Song fic for Superchic K 's hero. You don't need ghost powers to be a hero. You just need courage.  You would be surprised what Danny's and his friend's lives were like before they all met.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the song "Hero" by my favorite band in the world you should go on YouTube to listen to, Superchic(K).**_

_**BEFORE PP**_

_**2 YEARS AGO**_

"You like it?"

"No!"

Should I push _harder_?"

Danny shook his head and tried to hold back tears to no avail. "Stop it, Dash!" He yelled, tears finally poring over.

Dash let out a wicked grin and tightened his grip on Danny's wrist, which held Danny's arm in place behind his back. It had been a normal day at Middle school. The only difference was that today, the weird kid, Danny had tried to defend someone Dash was beating up after school. It didn't end well. The bullied kid had run as soon as Dash and his cronies turned their attention to Danny. The other football players watched Dash wail on Danny with matching smirks. Only Kwan had a small frown on his face as Dash pushed upwards. "I think that's enough, Dash." He muttered quietly.

Dash frowned at his best friend. "Are you a sissy? Now shut up and watch!" He grinned and suddenly pushed _very hard_ up on the crying boy's wrist.

The result was a large _POP!_

There was dead silence for a moment. Then there was chaos. A scream of pure pain emitted from Danny's mouth. Surprised and confused, Dash dropped Danny, who fell on the cement floor and landed the back of his head. Danny's tear-streaked eyes rolled up to the back of his head, and then closed. He didn't move again.

Dash and his cronies stood there for a second, mouths agape. The silence was broken with Dash saying with a cruel laugh, "I think I broke him!"

Laughter filled the abandoned school hallways. The football players-except Kwan- kicked Danny's body before leaving.

A few hors later, well past dark, Danny came to. He groaned before getting up and having a wave of dizziness attack him. With a soft groan, he lightly rubbed the back of his head, which was sticky with still wet blood. He shuddered and then frowned angrily as he recalled being abandoned by his "friend."

With a shuddering breathe, Danny started to walk towards home.

_Dad will probably think a ghost attacked me,_ he thought with a small smile.

Then he frowned as he thought of how much trouble he would be in when he returned home. _Mom will ground me for a month. Jazz will go on about how I should go home on time, and how irresponsible I am. It's not my fault I'm bullied!_ He grit his teeth angrily. _Stupid Dash! He made everyone hate me! They just want me gone now!_

**_No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in._**

_**But we feel like we do when we make fun of him.**_

_**Cuz' you want to belong, do you go along,**_

_**Cuz' his pain is the price paid for you to belong?**_

He stumbled in his steps and backtracked. Wait… _Gone_?

He looked around as if to see if anyone was hearing his thoughts. The deepest, darkest, dangerous part of him considered this for a moment. A small, unnatural smile worked its way on Danny's face as he thought of the word _death_. But the sudden horror at himself overtook this feeling ten-fold. Death? Where had that come from? Was he- _lord forbid it-_ thinking of… _killing himself_? Of…

_Suicide_?

The disturbed smile crept upon his face again.

He couldn't save a wimp. He couldn't save himself.

But now…he could save people from carrying his burden.

He was a rather large burden to carry. It a burden is too heavy to carry… drop it.

_**It's not like you hate him or want him to die, **_

_**But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide?**_

Danny was smiling confidentially as he walked through the hallways. He was going to relieve all these people of him. It was obvious that he was a burden to them.

He frowned sadly though as he recalled how much he would miss his family. Tears threatened to flow, but he pushed them back as he lightly moved his arm around in its sling. He would wait until after first period. It was science first, and they were talking about astronomy, which he loved. Too bad it would be his last time with Mrs. Cooper arguing over star locations…

He walked through the door when he saw an African-American sitting next to his desk. It was odd- he'd never seen the boy before, and no one sat with him. Ever.

_**Or he comes back to school,**_

_**With a gun at his side,**_

_**And a kindness from you might have saved his life?**_

_**Heroes are made when you make a choice…**_

The African-American smiled shyly at him before saying, "Hi, I'm Tucker! The teacher said for me to sit by you so you could catch me up! I heard you're really at astronomy…"

As the boy babbled on, Danny smiled at him. He seemed really friendly. Eventually they both began to chat. Their chatter soon turned to loud laughter, and the teacher actually told them to shut-up. That was Mrs. Cooper for you. Unfortunately, this had the opposite of the desired affect- the boys cracked up until Danny was actually crying. The teacher sent them to the hall, where they calmed down significantly. "Hey," Said Tucker, "I never caught your name!"

Danny giggled, still red faced, as he responded, "Daniel. But I hate that, so you can call me Danny."

"That's cool! You know, my full name is King _Tuck_ankhamen! But they shortened it to Tuck! So, let's start again. Hi! I'm Tuck! What are you, weird?"

Danny snorted. "Pleased to meat you, Tuck. Call me awesome… Or shortened, Danny. Oh, but Tucker?" Said Danny, "I'm really bad with names."

Tucker smirked before taking a sharpie out of his pocket. "Uh, hello? Cast?"

Danny face palmed with his good hand before holding out his arm.

"How'd you get this, anyways?" Tucker asked as he signed his name.

"Um… Some jerks were bothering someone… and I tried to help." He said, lowering his head.

"Well, that sucks. But don't worry! It'll get better soon, right?"

Danny nodded with a smile. "Yeah. It was just dislocated, but it was so out of place they needed to put it in a cast so it could heal properly."

Tucker shuddered. "You went to a hospital?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Your crazy! Hospitals are terrifying!" Tucker exclaimed.

"A little, I guess. But _snakes_ are ten times worse." Danny said, shuddering.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

Are too!"

After that day, Danny and Tucker virtually became brothers. They shared everything- hopes, dreams, and fears. They would also share Danny's secret, when the time came for it. Danny never thought of suicide again.

When the topic was mentioned, he would laugh. Inside he wondered how he had ever considered it. It wouldn't help anyone- only cause them grief. It was stupid. It was pointless. But it was behind him.

_**You could be a hero, **_

_**Heroes do what's right.**_

_**You could be a hero, **_

_**You might save a life.**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You could join the fight, **_

_**For what's right, what's right, what's right…**_

_**2 YEARS AGO**_

Sam sighed as she sat alone at "her" lunch table. Yes, she did love the night, Goth, and black, but nobody liked to be alone. Not even her. She suddenly felt like she would be reduced to crying hysterically again. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and proceeded to the girl's restroom. Once inside, she reached for something inside her bag. She sighed contently as she felt the tip of the knife blade. She took it out, and proceeded to slash at her wrist. She always made sure they weren't deep enough to cause scars- but deep enough to make her grit her teeth- enough to make her think of other pains. Once she was done, with threenew cuts, she cleaned up her mess, and opened the door. She felt much better now. She closed her eyes as she walked back to the lunchroom, feeling the lingering pain. Now she was ready to face the world. She could survive another day.

_**No one talks to her,**_

_**She feels so alone. **_

_**She's in too much pain**_

_**Too survive on her own.**_

_**The hurts she can't handle overflows to a knife,**_

_**She writes on her arm, **_

_**Wants to give up her life.**_

_**Each day she goes on is a day that she's brave,**_

_**Fighting the lie that giving up is the way.**_

The next day, Dash called her a crazy-witch when she punched him for hurting Mickey D. She opened her mouth to yell at him angrily- but someone beat her to it. "Lay off, Dash!"

Both of them looked over to see Danny Fenton with a fist raised. Tucker was behind him, nervously typing on his PDA.

Dash laughed as he said, "What, is the princess coming to save the prince?"

Danny blushed but confidently said, "Something like that. But the big difference is that the only princess her is you!"

Dash stared at Danny with wide eyes. Behind him, Kwan whistled loudly before saying, "Wow! A rebelling nerd!"

Sam laughed and walked over to Danny. "He's right. All that's left here is a knight," She pointed to herself, "A rebel," She indicated Danny, who grinned in response, "And…" She glanced at Tucker. "Another princess."

"Hey!"

Dash growled in annoyance. "Next time your alone, you'll get it!" He promised her- and also, by the way his eyes drifted over to Danny, said boy as well.

Danny stepped forward in a protective way. "I wouldn't count on it."

With a huff, the football player sulked away. Sam turned to Danny with wide eyes. "What was that?"

Danny blushed before saying, "You seemed like you could use some help."

Sam considered this before smiling. "Thanks… Danny… Fenton, right?"

"Yeah, and your Sam Manson- the Goth girl, right?"

Sam grinned. "That's me. I'm new- my parents just moved to Amity Park. I didn't want to come. Not like they'd let me live with my crazy grandma in California, though."

The boys snorted. The African-American boy stuck out his hand. She shook it as she guessed, "Tucker Foley, right?"

He grinned. "If your single."

She stuck out her tongue and gently whacked his head. "Ow!" He grumbled.

"Watch out, Sam. He likes em' feisty- and you cover that." Danny warned.

There was a pause before they cracked up. After spending the rest of the day with her two new friends and signing Danny's cast, she went back into the girl's restroom. As she entered, she slowly took out her knife. Without another glance, She threw it- and the pills away.

_**Each moment of courage,**_

_**Her own life she saves,**_

_**When she throws the pills out,**_

_**A hero is made.**_

Sam grinned as she emerged the restroom. A smiling Danny greeted her. As they met eyes, her heart fluttered. She rushed to meet him, and with a wink, said, "I feel relieved. Now let's go."

Danny laughed like an idiot.

She already loved that laugh.

_**Heroes are made when you make a choice… **_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**Heroes do what's right.**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You might save a life.**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You could join the fight,**_

_**For what's right, what's right, what's right…**_

_**33 YEARS AGO**_

Vladimir Masters inhaled deeply on the cigarette. He closed his eyes and let the beer bottle drop to the floor with a crash. His wife, Susan, laid beside him. She was bloody. She was beaten. She wasn't breathing.

_**No one talks too him about how he lives,**_

_**He thinks that the choices he makes are just his.**_

_**Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves,**_

_**And others will follow the choices he's made. **_

_**He lives on the edge,**_

_**He's old enough to decide.**_

_**His brother who wants to be him is just not.**_

_**He can do what he wants, because it's his right,**_

_**But choices he makes change a nine-year-old's life.**_

Vladimir slowly drifted off. He didn't notice his son, Vlad, watching him with wide, terrified eyes. He didn't know that his son watched him kill Susan. He didn't see his trembling son approach him. He didn't see him numbly lift the beer bottle. He didn't see him shaking, as he raised it above his head. But he did notice it crash down on his head before he died.

The nine-year Vlad dropped the remains of the beer bottle and sank to the floor, crying loudly, as he wailed for his mother and father.

Two soft hands enveloped around his body. He opened his eyes and he saw his sister, Susie, look at him with large, scared eyes. "I'm s-sorry." He whispered.

She shook her head and looked at their dead parents, both covered with blood. "It's a-alright."

He returned the hug. "I needed to do it." He said. She nodded as he continued. "We would be next. He said s-so. I had to d-do it, to protect you."

_Sometimes you need to hurt people to protect the ones you love._

Before his father had become an alcoholic, he had said those words to Vlad.

_**Heroes are made when you make a choice… **_

_**You could be a hero, **_

_**Heroes do what's right,**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You might save a life, **_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You could join the fight, **_

_**For what's right, what's right, what's right…**_

_**PRESENT DAY**_

Mickey watched in terror as Dash sauntered down the hallways- looking for him, no doubt. He glanced around, looking for help. Only the popular girls and jocks were around. He looked for a place to run. There was none. There was no escape.

When the beating started, he couldn't help but cry. It was just like when his father had beaten him…

Not today.

_**Little Mickey D. was the one in class who every day got brutally harassed.**_

_**This went on for years until he decided that never again would he she another tear…**_

That day, he decided to end it.

_**So he walked through the door, grabbed a four-four out of his father's dressing drawer,**_

_**Said, "I can't take life no more," And like that, life can be lost…**_

There was a loud _bang_. Danny stopped in the hallway. Only his super-sonic hearing heard it through the bustling halls. He knew that sound anywhere.

That was the sound of a gunshot.

He ran through the halls, ignoring all the looks from his peers and his friend's worried calls. All that passed his mind was _please, no_.

He smelled the blood before he saw it. But he did see it.

With a wail of despair, he dropped to the floor beside Mickey's body and cried for him. Then he saw the note.

It said,

_To my mom, I want you to know I love you forever. I hope when you get out of rehab you will remember that._

_To all of my peers, I want you to know that this isn't your fault. But I want to set an example for everyone at this school- so that this won't ever happen again. No one deserves to be forced over the edge. I wasn't. But many are and will be. To all those who truly know and care for me, thank you. You all made me forever happy,_

_And I love you. Never give up. I didn't._

Sobs echoed throughout Casper high.

They came from the boy who failed to save.

_**But this ain't even about that, all of us just sat back, **_

_**And watched it happen,**_

_**Thinking, "It is not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me."**_

_**This is our problem!**_

_**This is just one of those daily scenarios in which we chose to close our eyes,**_

_**Instead of doing the right thing…**_

_**But if we make the choice, **_

_**We can be the voice, **_

_**For those who won't speak up for themselves, how lives would we save, change, rearrange? **_

_**Now is our time to pick a side!**_

_**So don't keep walking by not wanting to intervene cuz' you just want to exist and never be seen,**_

_**So let's wake up,**_

_**Change the world,**_

_**Our time is now.**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**Heroes do what's right,**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You might save a life,**_

_**You could be a hero,**_

_**You could join the fight...**_

_**It's our time.**_

…

_**You don't need superpowers to be a hero. You already have the power to be one.**_

_**hopeistheway**_


End file.
